Air conditioning units are becoming increasingly integral to the functioning of a commercial operation. The knock-on effect of ensuring your employees, visitors and/or customers are comfortable can boost productivity, reduce absenteeism and increase sales.
The design and parts used in most air conditioning systems are the same, but they will differ in size, efficiency and the types of refrigerants used. Here are some of the key air conditioning issues that tend to re-occur and the most advisable solution:
Inadequate air cooling – often this is simply a case of lowering the thermostat a few degrees, as the ambient air temperature is too high, you should also ensure all doors and windows are closed so the unit is not fighting unnecessarily against higher room temperatures.
Refrigerant issues – the performance and efficiency of your unit depends on refrigerant – the chemical used to cool the air – and your air conditioning engineer will be able to check the levels of this. Any problems such as leaks in the system and subsequent re-filling of refrigerant also requires the attention of qualified air conditioning servicing personnel. It is sometimes found that the wrong refrigerant, according to manufacturer specifications, has been used upon installation, or insufficient levels are in the system. So you need to ensure qualified personnel are responsible for your system’s installation.
Condenser problems – this is the fan unit that is situated outside of your building and is responsible for the heat transfer. Sometimes the compressor may overheat and trip this unit, so this would be your first port of call if there is no heat transfer occurring. While the condenser unit outside is always guarded, it is still open to potential vandalism in some cases, so an engineer can check for obvious damage. After that, it will be a case of checking power issues such as a blown fuse, or sometimes it could be the high pressure limit switch which has tripped. This can be easily restored via a reset button in the panel. It is also possible that the condenser fan is blocked or dirty and has become inoperable or has resulted in power turning on and off intermittently, and in most cases the fan unit can be cleaned or a blockage removed quite easily.
Condensate drain – every air conditioning unit has a drain for condensate produced by the system to run out. After a certain amount of use this drain can become blocked and hence problems with the running of the system can back up. Get a professional engineer to remove the blockage and return your system back to normal.
We highly recommend that organisations set up a routine air conditioning unit maintenance schedule with external, qualified personnel. Usually on an annual basis, this will check for blockages and refrigerant levels and clean parts and units to ensure the efficient running of your system and prevent most basic issues occurring. For more information, click here.